When Hong Kong’s education system was ranked lower than those in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan in the recently released Economist Intelligence Unit Index, one should not overlook the fact that except Taiwan, the others have one thing in common: they are all exam-focused. But John Lee Chi-kin, a chair professor at Education University’s department for curriculum and instruction, said Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan were doing better in promoting innovation in their education system, while Hong Kong did not encourage students to take risk. “We should encourage more risk-taking mentality in our schooling and education system,” he said. “We need a more flexible system that encourages other learning experiences and extracurricular activities.” Echoing Lee’s views, educator Jennifer Ma Yin-wai said: “Singapore and Korea have been extremely successful at building their educ...